Willcutt receives NCGA Service Award

Willcutt, an Alabama native, has worked for farmers in Mississippi for 20 years. Previously, he served the cotton industry for nine years as an employee of Cotton Incorporated, working with the cotton module builder and conservation tillage systems for cotton production.

The award was presented at the National Cotton Ginners Association annual meeting in New Orleans. The even was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the National Cotton Council.

His current assignments include developing materials and educational programs in the areas of mechanization and ginning, rural and farm safety and health, AgrAbility (a program that helps provide assistive technology to individuals with a disability who desire to pursue work in agriculture), chemical application, grain drying and storage, cottonseed storage, and other areas.

He has conducted numerous research demonstrations, assisted manufacturers and presented programs on the proper use of cotton module builders across the Cotton Belt and provides expertise in design and management of cottonseed storage facilities. He was an early instructor at the NCGA’s Stoneville Gin School and continues to be involved in that and other association activities.

Willcutt also is inventor or co-inventor on two patents and participated in the development, testing and production of the automatic control package for the KBH cotton module builder.

Among awards he holds are the Mayfield Cotton Engineering Award from the American Society of Agricultural Engineers; Mississippi Agricultural Aviation’s “Agrinaut” award; Mississippi Association of County Agents “Specialist of the Year” and Mississippi Section of American Society of Agricultural Engineers’ Engineer of the Year.

He was a co-recipient of the 1996 Extra Effort Certificate for participation in the development of the Gin Management and Technology Course at Mississippi State University.

Willcutt holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in agricultural engineering from Auburn University.